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Federal Judge: Husted Must Allow Early Voting in Three Days Before Election

In November of 2012, Ohioans were able to vote, in person, at local election polling places on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before that election because of a temporary ruling by a federal court. Now, as Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports, that same court says those days should be permanent.

When a federal court granted a request from the Obama for America campaign to allow Ohioans to vote on the weekend before the election, the decision was only for that election. But the court was asked by the Ohio Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee to make those days permanently available for all future elections.

Now, the court has granted that request.

The Ohio Democratic Party says 96,000 Ohioans voted in 2012 on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the presidential election.

And this could be the end of the legal argument over those disputed three days before an election. Secretary of State Jon Husted says he intends to follow this decision. He says this is a case of uniformity and equality winning the day. And he says it’s a good thing that all Ohioans can know the rules for voting well in advance of the election.

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